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VIP Mini Story – Fighting Spirit

Hello VIP and welcome to the mini story for this month’s lesson. Let’s get started.

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Bill used to be brave. He used to be brave, but now he’s not.

Did Bill used to be timid and meek?

No, no, he did not used to be timid and meek. Not in the past, he wasn’t timid and meek.

So what did Bill used to be?

Bill used to be brave, courageous, strong.

He used to ski down huge mountains. He used to jump out of airplanes. He used to swim with killer whales.

Now, of course, “used to be something” means in the past it was true, but probably not now. So he used to be brave. If we say Bill used to be brave, brave means, again, strong and courageous. If we say Bill used to be brave, we know in the past he was brave.

From that sentence we can also guess that maybe now he is not brave. “Used to be” has the idea of something that was true in the past, but now probably is not. So he used to be brave. He used to ski down huge mountains. He used to jump out of airplanes. He used to swim with killer whales.

What did he used to swim with?

Killer whales. That’s right. He used to swim with killer whales.

Who used to swim with killer whales?

Bill. Bill used to swim with killer whales. He didn’t ski with them, he swam with them.

Where did he ski?

Well, he used to ski down huge mountains, very big mountains.

And what did he used to jump out of?

Well, he used to jump out of airplanes. So he used to do three things. He used to ski down huge mountains, he used to jump out of airplanes and he used to swim with killer whales.

Does he probably do those things now?

No, probably not, probably not.

Remember, “used to” has the idea of something that was true in the past, it did happen in the past, but now probably not. So we automatically know that when we hear “used to” we have the idea that it was probably true in the past, but also probably not true now.

So does Bill probably ski down huge mountains now?

No, probably not.

Does he jump out of airplanes now?

Probably not.

We say he used to jump of airplanes. That means probably now he doesn’t.

Does he probably swim with killer whales now?

Again, probably not. He used to swim with killer whales in the past, but probably not now.

And how did he used to be?

He used to be brave. He used to be strong and brave and courageous.

And who used to be strong and brave and courageous?

That’s right, Bill, dome, dome, dome, dome, dome… But now, unfortunately, Bill is timid. Now Bill is very, very timid. In fact, he’s so timid he’s scared of his own shadow.

Now, “timid” means kind of fearful, always afraid, kind of weak and shy and afraid all the time, that’s timid.

So did Bill used to be timid?

No, no, no, no, he used to be brave and strong. So he’s timid now. Now Bill is timid.

But what did he used to be?

He used to be brave, but now he’s timid. He’s so timid he’s scared of his own shadow.

Now that’s a common idiom. It’s a little idiom phrase in American English, idiomatic phrase in American English, scared of his own shadow. It just means someone who is very, very, very, very, very timid, very, very, very, very, very afraid all the time. You could even say it about an animal. You could say oh, that dog is scared of its own shadow. It’s easy to scare the dog. It’s always afraid. It’s afraid of everything.

So who is scared of his own shadow?

Bill. Bill is scared of his own shadow.

Now, is Bill’s girlfriend Beatrix scared of her own shadow?

No, Beatrix is not scared of her own shadow. She’s very, very brave.

So who is scared of his own shadow?

Bill. Bill is scared of his own shadow.

And what kind of man is Bill now?

Timid. He’s a very, very timid man now.

Is Beatrix timid now?

No, Beatrix isn’t timid.

So who’s timid?

Bill. Bill is timid.

How timid is he?

He’s so timid that he’s scared of his own shadow. Bill is scared of his own shadow. He’s super, super timid. He’s afraid of everything.

So why is Bill so timid now, he used to be brave? Well, I’ll tell you.

Three years ago, Bill had a cooking accident. He was making dinner and he cut off his pinky. Oh, poor Bill.

Now, the pinky, the pinky is the smallest finger. It’s the name of the smallest finger on your hand. So you have the thumb, right? Everyone knows what the thumb is and on the opposite side of your hand we have the pinky, the smallest little finger.

So who cut off his own pinky?

Poor Bill. Bill cut off his own pinky.

What was he doing when he cut off his pinky?

He was cooking. He was preparing his dinner. So while he was preparing his dinner, he cut off his own pinky.

Did he purposely cut off his own pinky or did he accidentally cut off his own pinky?

Of course it was an accident. He accidentally cut off his own pinky.

And what did he cut off his pinky with, a knife?

Oh, no, actually not, not a knife. No, he cut off his own pinky with a samurai sword.

See, whenever Bill cooks, he always uses a samurai sword to cut his vegetables.

So he was cutting the vegetables, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop and then he had an accident. Chop, oohhh and he cut off his pinky, aahh!

So which finger did he cut off?

His pinky, the smallest finger on his hand.

And when did he cut off his pinky, how long ago?

It was three years ago. Three years ago, Bill accidentally cut off his own pinky with a samurai sword while cooking.

So what was he doing when he cut off his pinky?

He was cooking.

What was he using to cut the vegetables?

A samurai sword. He was using a samurai sword to cut the vegetables.

When was that?

Three years ago.

And while he was cutting the vegetables what happened?

He accidentally cut off his pinky. So while he was cutting the vegetables, chop, chop, chop, chop! Oh, off came the pinky. Ah, blood coming everywhere, puusssh!

And when was that?

Three years ago. So three years ago, Bill had a cooking accident and since then he has been timid and meek, ah.

So what caused him to become timid?

The cooking accident. The cooking accident caused him to become timid. Since the accident, he has been timid and meek. So since three years ago, he has been timid and meek since the accident.

So since when?

Since the accident.

He has been what?

Timid and meek.

“Meek” also means very shy and really kind of afraid all the time.

Now did he used to be timid and meek before the accident?

No, no. Before the accident, he was brave.

What did he used to do?

Well, he used to ski down huge mountains. He used to jump out of airplanes. He used to swim with killer whales. He was very, very, very brave.

Is he brave now?

No, now Bill is timid and meek.

And since when has he been timid and meek?

Since the cooking accident, he has been timid and meek.

Well, finally, his girlfriend Beatrix gets upset. She tells Bill, “Bill, I’m tired of you being timid and meek. You need to get strong again.” Then she gives him a ticket to a Tony Robbins’ seminar.

So who gives Bill a ticket to a Tony Robbins, seminar?

Beatrix.

And who is Beatrix?

Beatrix is his girlfriend.

And how does Beatrix feel?

She’s upset. She’s very upset.

Why is she upset?

Because her boyfriend Bill is so meek and timid and he used to be brave.

So what does she give him?

A ticket to a Tony Robbins’ seminar.

And so Bill goes to the Tony Robbins’ seminar and at the seminar he learns how to be strong. He learns how to use his body in a strong way. He learns how to use his voice in a strong way. He learns how to use his mind in a strong way. And at the end of the seminar he walks across hot coals and fire and he becomes brave and strong again.

So what does he become again?

Brave and strong.

Who becomes brave and strong again?

Bill. Bill becomes brave and strong again.

How does he become brave and strong again?

By going to a Tony Robbins’ seminar.

And what does he do at the seminar?

Well, he does a lot of things, but at the end he walks across fire.

What does he walk across?

Fire.

Who walks across fire?

Bill. Bill walks across fire.

Why does he walk across fire?

Well, to get his bravery back, to get his courage back. After he walks across fire, he feels brave and courageous again. He becomes brave and courageous again and now, happily, he is strong and brave and courageous and his girlfriend is also very happy.

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And that is the end of our mini story. As usual, don’t think about it. There’s a lot of grammar in this one, actually. It’s mixed in there, but you don’t need to think about it.

You don’t need to find it. All you need to do is listen to the stories again and again and again every day, at least once a day and answer the questions out loud with a strong voice when possible.

Okay, I will see you next time, bye-bye.